


It's okay. I couldn't sleep anyway.

by Ilerre



Series: Ways to Say I Love You [14]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Baby Daryl, Fluff, Gen, Sibling Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-11
Updated: 2015-09-11
Packaged: 2018-04-20 06:37:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4777253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilerre/pseuds/Ilerre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's okay. I couldn't sleep anyway.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's okay. I couldn't sleep anyway.

0

The baby had been crying for hours now, and Merle was ready to throw the kid through the window. He couldn't understand what the problem was.

Daryl's nappy was dry, he'd just drank an entire bottle and had seemed rather happy when Merle had put him down in his crib surrounding by his furry friends.

But now, an hour later, the little menace just wouldn't stop howling. He tried to hide his head under his pillow, but the noise was even worse because it seemed Daryl—by some cosmic baby sense—could tell Merle was ignoring him, so, screamed louder.

Groaning loudly he punched his pillow away from his face and toyed with the idea of sleeping into the woods.

He could, really.

They didn't have any neighbor, thanks god for that, because he wouldn't have been able to stomach people calling the cops on him because he was seemingly murdering a baby, but—sleeping into the woods was sounding more and more tempting…

But no, he knew himself too well to know he just wouldn't be able to let his baby alone in an empty house, desperately calling for help.

Sighing with his entire body, he glanced moodily at the alarm clock, the bright red numbers 3:21am mocking him.

He glared and walked down the corridor in the dark. He knew the house by heart, and even if he didn't, the noise would have been a dead giveaway, anyway. He entered the nursery and banged one of his toes against an unpacked cardboard box, cursing nearly louder than Daryl's cries, he limped toward the crib and leaned over.  

He really needed to unpack all the crap Carol had brought him from when Sophia had been a baby, but he had never gone around to do it.

He sighed as he watched Daryl wriggling in his bed, arms smacking the bedding in anger, small fists trembling and legs kicking in every ways. His tiny face was scrunched up in anger—or sorrow—Merle couldn't tell, face drenched in tears and snot and he was breathing quickly, small chest heaving with each lungful of air he needed to scream.

Merle leaned closer and gently put a hand under the tiny head and back, gently lifting him from the crib and pressing him against his shoulder. He seemed to calm down marginally, mewling and nuzzling into Merle neck, breathing hard and trembling.

"Hey, baby, what's up, uh?" he murmured, gently rubbing the quivering back. Even three months after Daryl's birth, he still marveled at how small he really was, and how his entire hand could encompass his whole back and head.

As if in answer, Daryl cooed with a yawn and tucked his hand in his mouth, jerking slightly at a sound coming from outside, but calming down completely as Merle continued to rub his back. "Yeah, that's good, sweetheart," Merle whispered.

He paced the room for a few minutes, feeling Daryl going slack against his chest and huffed a laugh when he saw big blue eyes stare at him contently. "Ya jus' needed a cuddle, uh? 't's okay. I couldn't sleep anyway."

0

**Author's Note:**

> This work is unbetaed. Please feel free to point any typos you saw or missing words, or any sentences that just don't make any sense :)
> 
> **[SUBMIT A PROMPT HERE](http://hillbells.tumblr.com/submit) ******


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